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| Korea |
| Russia’s plan for pre-emptive strike on North Korea |
| 2003-08-01 |
| Hat tip Free Republic--This is a translation of the original Korean article, from what I understand. Edited for brevity. Russia drew up a plan to mount an unilateral pre-emptive attack on N. Korean military facilities if a nuclear war is about to break out in Korea, according to the Russian daily Izvestia on July 31, 2003. This is to prevent radioactive fallouts in Russian Far East. Quoting a high ranking official at Russian Defense Ministry, the paper reported that this plan was drawn up after an extensive study. The crux of the plan is to attack N. Korean nuclear facilities first, using ships from Russian Pacific Fleet, if there is an indication that N. Korea would use nuclear weapons. Boris Kubai(sp?), the head of the weather bureau in Russian Far East, explained that, if there is a nuclear explosion in Korean peninsula, radioactive fallouts will descend on Russian Far East , including Vladivostok, within 2-3 hours. The danger is really high in Summer and Fall when wind blows from south-west. Last week, Russian Federal Emergency Bureau(?) held a meeting at Khabarovsk where they discussed the contingency plan for the possible Korean crisis. A government official, who attended this meeting, said, "The best way to safeguard Russian Far East is a pre-emtive strike against N. Korea. It is best for America to deal with any unusual acitivity of N. Korean military. However, if this does not work, Russian military has to take action." Izvestia reported that the missile cruiser Varyag from the Pacific Fleet will lead this attack. The 11,200 ton ship carries 64 S300 ship-to-air missiles and 16 P500 ship-to-ship missiles, which can be used to attack N. Korean missile bases. Naturally, all professional militaries have contingency plans--it’s just nice to see this one get some attention at such an appropriate time. |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #3 The Varyag? That's a hoot. The last Russian cruiser "Varyag" got sunk at Inchon by the Japanese in 1904. |
| Posted by: SPQR 2755 2003-8-1 10:12:32 PM |
| #2 All I see is a big carrot... which apparently isn't being pointed out. I believe financial markets, particularly in Hong Kong and Shanghai, would react favorably to signs of significant US-China cooperation on this. They've tied their currency to the dollar in such a way that I think it would result in a windfall of several billion dollars for them, going straight into the hands of the party. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-8-1 6:53:47 PM |
| #1 I would not think that the Russians would publicize an attack plan without an agenda to go with it. They obviously want to distance themselves from the Norks in the public arena. So now that leaves China and SKor (we won't count the other AOEs). We do have some leverage on SKor, but do we really have anything we can use in the near future on the Chicoms? They are the key for sinking the Nork tub. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-8-1 4:41:18 PM |